The California Healthy Youth Act requires that comprehensive human growth and development education be provided to students at least once in middle school and once in high school, starting in grade 7. While it must be taught in these grades, it may also be taught in any grade K-6, inclusive. Any time it is taught in grades K-6, sexual health and HIV prevention education must meet all requirements of the law other than the specific content requirements for grades 7-12.

Regardless of whether schools call it puberty education, family life education, or another name, any “education regarding human development and sexuality, including education on pregnancy, contraception, and sexually transmitted infections” (EC § 51931(b)) is by definition comprehensive sexual health education and must meet the requirements of the law.  These requirements include:

• Be age-appropriate, medically accurate, and objective;  

• Align with and support the purposes of the California Healthy Youth Act;  

• Be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic and cultural backgrounds;  

• Be appropriate for and equally available to English language learners;  Be appropriate for and accessible to pupils with disabilities;  

• Affirmatively recognize different sexual orientations and be inclusive of same-sex relationships in discussions and examples;  

• Teach about gender, gender expression, gender identity, and the harm of negative gender stereotypes;  

• Encourage students to communicate with their parents/guardians and other trusted adults about human sexuality, and provide skills for doing so;  

• Teach respect and skills for committed relationships such as marriage;  

• Provide knowledge and skills for forming healthy relationships that are free from violence, coercion, and intimidation;  

• Provide knowledge and skills for making healthy decisions about sexuality;  

• Be free of religious doctrine;  

• Be free of bias based on actual or perceived disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation, or any other category protected by the non-discrimination policy codified in Education Code § 220. 

• Per the California Healthy Youth Act, instruction must be medically accurate, age-appropriate and inclusive of all students, and must encourage students to communicate with parents, guardians, or other trusted adults about human sexuality.

Parental Notification and Consent Requirements for K-6  

• In all grades, K-12, districts must notify parents of the instruction and provide them with an opportunity to view the curriculum and other instructional materials. 

• In all grades, K-12, parents give passive consent for sexual health education instruction, meaning students receive instruction unless parents “opt-out” via a written request. Districts may not require active consent (“opt-in”) by requiring that students return a permission slip in order to receive the instruction; this applies to all grades, including K-6.  

Parent Education Opportunity

Prior to this instruction, parents/guardians will be invited to attend a parent education night via Zoom to learn about the curriculum.  The parent education night content will allow parents and guardians to:

• Receive an overview of the state requirements as defined in the CA Healthy Youth Act.

• Have a guided review of all lessons and content materials that will be offered in the curriculum.

• Become acquainted with what parents need to know as their children approach and go through puberty.

• Identify ways to initiate conversations with your child and answer sensitive questions.

Moreland's Board Approved Human Growth and Development Curriculum

Puberty Talk